Church Planting In Ethiopia
An update from Michael Granger, Sovereign Grace Church Planter in Ethiopia…
On April 11th of this year, just one day before what was supposed-to-be the official launch of Trinity Fellowship in Addis Ababa, the government of Ethiopia put out a new policy restricting gatherings to no more than 4 individuals. What quickly came about was the temptation to dwell on and be depressed concerning what was "supposed to be” rather than to live in and respond to the reality of what actually was. Real-life was not what we had planned in our minds, put down on paper, nor was it what others had approved in the form of a prospectus for ministry. It was nothing we could have foreseen. As real-life was being stuck inside for months stacked on months. Months in which we had to drop to our knees and cry out to God for wisdom and direction, and months wherein we feel confident that he has abundantly given us more than we could’ve asked or imagined.
Our little church planting team spent many of the months between April and now working on a new project in the absence of our ability to hold Sunday gatherings. My energy has been spent writing a 140-page book specifically contextualized for Ethiopia about sin and the gospel. It is essentially an introduction to the doctrine of sin and how God deals with it. With our people in mind, its purpose is to confront two of the major enemies of the cross out here in Ethiopia: legalism and the prosperity gospel. We desire to answer the questions: "Why did the Father send the Son?” and "What is at the heart of the cross?" Jesus dying in the place of sinners who deserved judgment for their sin. Currently the book is in translation to Amharic.
As for Abenezer, my ministry partner, he is producing an album, the content of which correlates with the themes of the book: A Fallen World, My Sin, God’s Justice & Judgment, The Gospel, and Sanctification. Each song was written by our church planting team in Amharic with three criteria:1) Song themes matching those of the book; 2) Songs that are gospel-centered; & 3) Songs written for congregational church singing. Currently, it is under production and we’re nearing the end. And can I be candid with you? Full disclosure… The album is bangin!
But now the months of not doing what we specifically came here to do have ended. Recently there was a turn of events in our nation. At the end of September, the government reversed its prohibition of church services. So it is with abounding joy I report that on Sunday, October 4th Trinity Fellowship Church in Addis Ababa was finally established. We began with a call to worship from Isaiah 40:9-11 “Behold your God”. That was followed by Bob Kauflin and Jon Althoff’s song He is Our God. Our singing was followed by a pastoral prayer and then I preached from Hebrews 11:39-12:2 Looking Unto Jesus. It was the first of a 3 part series entitled Why We’re Gospel-Centered. We concluded our service by taking communion together. It was a sweet sweet sweet sweet sweet time with one another and with our dear Savior. The last words of the service were, “As my dear pastor and friend, CJ Mahaney always concludes, 'I wish tomorrow were Sunday!'”
I write to you from what is now the sweetest place on earth for us, Trinity Fellowship in Addis Ababa. Thank you for praying for us. And thank you for welcoming us into what the Lord is doing with and through Sovereign Grace Churches.
